Banding machine



Dec.14,194 8. J H, AD 2,456,523

BANDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

Filed Sept. 14, 1944 05. 14, 1948. V "J. -H.-MEAD 2,456,523

-BANDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 14, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR Patented Dec. 14, 1948 T E D PATENT ICE ".{BA'NDING "10min; Mead, KalamazooIMidh.

.Aipplioation -septemher 14, 1944, Serial No. 554,123

Claims. (01. 81-91) This invention relates-to-bandingmachines: and has to :do particularly-With an apparatus-forep- .plying 'bandsranchthe likeftO packages, boxes ,zbun- .dles, :etc. I

vIn theipackagingoi certainarticles itis dessirable to :use rather strong securing materials which. cannot be .tied into knots. 'Iniapplying such materials it is customary to-.use ;a=seal for securing the fends'of thebandtogether. Since such bandingimaterials are-oftenquite rigid,stols .are necessary to tighten thebandand crimp the seal. "Heretofore :it has been "customary to v use separate .tools for-tightening .the-bandand crimping the seal. Theuse of multiple tools :has the disadvantage of requiring. a complex setof,-apparatusand utilizing several operations to complete .th e tying operation. Also .difiiculty .hasbeenenco unteredheretofore with machines of the-prior- .art'in severing theispoolor coilof .unusedbanding "material fromltherband which has been: applied to 'the package.

An object of thepresent invention-isrto ,provide asimplified means for applying bands to'packages.

.=Another object of'zthe invention is :to provide 1 -a=sing1etoolrior applying bands; including itight- :ening, crimping and-severing -means. 1

.Another "object of the .invention is ,to provide an improved :tool rior tightening a band i on an .article. I

Another object of the invention. is to provide an :improvedtoohfor banding an article :which will not damage'the band. A further object of the-inventioniis to provide tool that will crimp a-seal ona band 11)."511011 .a manner as to insure a firmtsealwithout notch- :ing-thematerial of the-seal. a H

A still further object of -the'i1'1VentiOni'iS t0 provide a handling :tool containing improved .-means vfor cutting=the-band from the supply. coil after the band is sealed.

A banding operation usually comprises .the .steps ofrunningia rounder-flat strip oibanding material .aroundan :obje'ct, tightening :the strip around the. object, placing .asealon the strip,.

crimping the ..seal .to .iorm.,,a .secfu're .joiritand severing the band fromtheunusedportion otthe strip.

My invention is intended .ior use. in l relatively .smallscale operationswhich are performed largely by .hand in packaging individual articles. My invention ,is particularly. applicable to banding operations wherein the band an'dseal .areapplied by hand prior to the tightening,' .crimping and cutting operations. Vention is intended for "applying soft banding material such as plasticstrapping'paper strapping, ffibre strapping, reinforced fibre strapping and aluminum'strapping. .My. invention provides meanswhic'h workv remarkably well: on plastic Furthermore; my inorlreinforced :fi'bIG strapping materials .and has .supplieda tool sorely neededrin this field.

. The1tUO1'S .used heretofore .for. separately tightsening ,the hand and crimping .the .seal :have .been

1 bands, i "the teeth dig into :the banding material instead .of moving :it as soon as there :is any re- :sistance to the .progressrof the-band through :the :machine.

Also, =.crim ping ima'chines used-heretofore on xsteelgbandingrproduce .a secure joint .by' .notching bothrthelseal and the band to keep the strap ifromwslipping .out of the seal. Such crimping .cannotwbe used-with'soft bandingi-materialsawhich ware weaker :thantsteel and notching would im- :pair therminimum strengthrequirediforeven very,

. .light applioations. pMoreover, -softimaterlials "do not :have ithe necessary rigidity to; :preventtthe :.ban.drom1 slipping fthroug'h the seal 1 even though :notch'edr :In accordance with the present invention, I have: provided" a single tool which is. :relatively simpleeand eminently successful -for-use on soft banding rnaterials, although it may be used on more rigidbandssuch as steel bands. "The tool of the present invention comprises means for tightening, crimping "and severing the band,

- which means cooperatively 'functionto apply the band in a simple,- efiicient andmore facile -manher than accomplished heretofore "with prior art tools.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following descriptionread in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure 1 shows a portion of-a box with the band 7 and seal "imposition for applying the tool.

Figure 2 shows themanner in-whichtl'mtool I "is hooked on to 'the unused-portionofthe"strap in orderto bringthe tool'tobear against'theseal i or tightening.

"Figure 3, shows the'tool'inja horizontal position readyffor tightening "the "band.

,Figure 4 shows .thettool-in a vertical position "to'whichnt has been :raised'to tighten the strap i showing 'in' detail .the cutting means.

lilfii ure .7'lis aside viewo'ilthe crimping and cut-- to form a hook portion 4|.

ting head showing the crimping and cutting means in an open position.

Figure 3 is a section of the crimping and cutting head taken along the line 8--8 of Figure 7 in the direction of the arrows.

Figure!) is a sectional view similar to that in Figure 8 with the crimping jaws in a closed position.

Figure 10 is a bottom View of the tool showing the crimping jaws in an open position.

Figure 11 shows a modified form of cutter arrangement.

Figure 12' shows diagrammatically the shape of the seal after crimping.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figures 6 to 10, the tool comprises a head represented generally by the numeral [5. The head is constructed of two parallel plates I6 secured in spaced relation by the bolts I8. Secured to and extending upward from the top of the rear plate is a frame 2|] for holding a tightening lever 2| pivotally mounted thereto and which is adapted to swing on the top of the frame as a fulcrum as illustrated in Figures 2 to 5, inclusive. The lever 2| is fitted with a groove 22 for receiving the strap to be tightened. Positioned between the Walls I6 is an anvil 24 which is secured to the walls by a bolt 25. The lower end of the anvil is positioned a small distance upward from the bottom of the plates I6 is provided with a ridge 21 in order to provide an offset crimping surface as explained more fully hereinafter. Also located between the walls It? is a pair of crimping jaws 28 which are hinged on the lower bolts IS. The crimping jaws are provided with teeth portions 30 which cooperate with the anvil 24 to crimp the seal. The ends of the jaws 28 opposite the teeth portions are connected by the pins 32 with shoulders 33. The latter are hinged on a pin 36 which operates in slots 37 in the side plates I6. The shoulders 33 are equipped with handles 38. As the handles are lowered and raised the pin 36 slides up and down in the slots 3'! whereby the toggle joints are operated to open and close the jaws 28. Attached to the front plate I6 is a housing 46 which is notched in the lower portion Operating in the housing is a knife 42 which is attached to the pin 36 whereby the knife is actuated by the handles 38 and the toggle joints. The lower cutting end of the knife operates through the recess formed by the notch in the housing 40. As the knife is lowered it passes by the upper portion of the hook 4|, causing a shearing action on a band when placed in the notch. The knife and toggle joints are synchronized to form a cooperative action whereby the shearing action of the knife functions simultaneously with the completionof the crimping operation.

The operation of the machine will be better understood by referring to Figures 1 to 5. A strip or band is fitted with a seal 46 and placed around an article such as a box 47, the free end of the band being run through the seal and bent under as shown at 59 (Figure 1). Theunused portion of the band is next inserted in the recess in the knife housing 4|], drawing it over the hook portion 4| (Figure 2). The head I 5 is lowered to a horizontal position and the hook 4| is forced between the overlapping bands against the seal. The strip is then placed in the groove 22 of the lever 2| while the tool is in a horizontal position. The band is drawn tightly over the end of the lever 2| while the bottom of the tool is brought against the seal (Figure 3). The band is drawn tightly over the end of lever 2| and the tool is now raised to a vertical position (Figure 4) the handles 38 dropping to a crimping position. After the band is sufiiciently tightened, the handles 38 are forced upwardly, causing a crimping of the seal and a cutting of the unused portion of the band (Figure 5).

An important feature of the present invention is the synchronized action of the cutter with the crimper. The use of the tog le pin as an'actuating element for the knife creates a cooperative action between the knife and crimper to create an important contribution in this art.

The cutting hook 4| may consist of a straight edge for the shearing surface, although I contemplate using an auxiliary part such as a pin (Figure 11) located slightly above the shearing surface 4| and over which the band is threaded. The pin 55 is fastened to the rear of the housing 40. In this arrangement the cutting knifeis cut away at the end, causing a protruding section 56 which on lowering the knife not only cuts the band but also bends the cut end down to avoid the exposure of a sharp end of the band. This feature has the advantage in the case of soft metal banding or steel re-enforced banding that the severed stub is bent downward, thus minimizing the possibility of the operator being scratched by the sharp edge of the stub.

The front and rear plates "5 are notched at the bottom to form recesses 58 (Figure 6). The seal rests in these notches during the crimping operation. The jaws 28 press on the seal and force it to conform to the shape of the anvil 24. The anvil causes a deep depression in the middle of the seal running entirely across its width. The contour of the seal after crimping is shown in Figure 12. The jaws afford resistance which permits the ridge of the anvil to create the recession. The relationship of the notches to the anvil is an important element in the sealing operation. The plates project beyond the base of the anvil thus giving a sharp downward bend to the ends of the seal. The downward bend is important since it changes the direction of the pull of the band from a right angle to the depression to a much greater and'more favorable oblique angle. This type of seal has been found to be extremely secure for soft materials.

The tightening element comprising a lever affixed to the rear plate in a position to receive the strapping after it has been threaded through the cutting hook produces a cooperative mechanism for quickly and eificiently tightening the band prior to crimping. The tightening operation coacts with the subsequent crimping operation to makethe whole performance a unitary operation, particularly as the tool is rolled over into a crimpin position during the tightening operation. At

the same time, thehandles tendto drop into a pended claims.

said jaws and rigidly afiixed to said support, a

toggle joint connecting said jaws, a cutter cone nected to said toggle joint and slidable on said support, a guide means for said cutter aflixed to said support, said guide means being provided with a shearing edge at the lower portion thereof.

to cooperate with said cutter, said cutter and said jaws being spaced laterally from each other and means to actuate the toggle joint whereby said jaws and cutter are moved in crimping and cutting positions.

2. In a device for securing a band around an article with a seal, the combination comprising a support including a pair of plates having recessed portions therein for the reception of the seal, a pair of crimping jaws pivotally attached to the support, an anvil secured to said plates cooperating with said jaws and interposed between said jaws, a toggle joint connecting said jaws, a cutter connected to said toggle joint and slidable across the face of said support, a guide means for said cutter afiixed to said support, said guide means being provided with a shearing edge at the lower portion thereof to cooperate with said cutter, said cutter and said jaws being spaced laterally from each other and means for actuating the toggle joint whereby said jaws and said cutter are actuated in unison and said jaws are brought in crimping position to crimp the seal on the band and against said anvil and said cutter is moved into cutting position to sever said band.

3. A banding tool as described in claim 2 wherein the anvil contains a raised portion to form a depression in the crimped seal.

4. In a device for securing a band around an article with a seal, the combination comprising a support, at least one pair of crimping jaws hingedly mounted on said support, an anvil disposed between said jaws and rigidly afiixed to said support, links pivoted together by a pin and also pivoted to the jaw elements, a cutter carried from said pin and being slidably mounted therewith along a predetermined path across the face of the support, a guide means for said cutter affixed to said support, said guide means being provided with a shearing edge at the lower portion thereof to cooperate with said cutter, said cutter and said jaws being spaced laterally from each other, and means to actuate the links for simultaneously actuating the cutter and crimping jaws in unison, the pivoted links being adapted to close the jaws and to crimp the seal and to move the cutter downwardly when moved in one direction and to open the jaws and to move the cutter upwardly when the links are moved in an opposite direction.

5. In a device for securing a band around an article with a seal, the combination comprising a support, a guide means secured to said support, said guide means containing a recessed portion in the lower end thereof providing a shearing edge, at least one pair of crimping jaws hingedly mounted on said support, an anvil disposed between said jaws and rigidly affixed to said support, a pair of links pivoted together by a pin and also pivoted to the jaw elements, a cutter carried from said pin, said cutter being slidably mounted for movement in said guide means, said cutter and said jaws being spaced laterally from each other, and means to actuate the links for simultaneously actuating the cutter and crimping jaws in unison, the pivoted links being adapted to close the jaws and to crimp the seal and to move the cutter downwardly to sever the band when moved in one direction and to open the jaws and to move the cutter upward when the links are moved in an opposite direction.

6. A banding tool as described in claim 5 wherein a second pin is afiixed to the guide means and wherein the cutter is cut away at its lower end to cooperate with said second-mentioned pin whereby the severed portion of the band is bent downwardly.

7. In combination with a banding tool for securing a band around an article with a seal, including a support, a pair of crimping jaws pivotally attached to the support, an anvil disposed between said jaws and rigidly afilxed to said support, a toggle joint connecting said jaws, a cutter connected to said toggle joint and slidable on said support, a guide means for said cutter affixed to said support, said guide means being provided with a shearing edge at the lower portion thereof to cooperate with said cutter, said cutter and said jaws being spaced laterally from each other, said tool including means to actuate the toggle joint whereby said jaws and cutter are moved in crimping and cutting positions; a band tensioning means comprising a lever pivotally mounted on said support, a groove in the end of said lever adjacent its pivotal mounting for threadedly engaging the free end of the band strapping to be severed, the pivotal mounting of said lever serving to tighten the band when the band is manually drawn thereover and to lift the support from a horizontal to a vertical position.

8. The combination in a banding machine for securing overlapping strap ends, of a pair of side plates, a pair of jaws pivotally mounted between said plates for movement from and towards each other, said jaws being adapted to receive between them an open seal embracing overlapping strap ends, an anvil disposed between said jaws and rigidly afiixed to said plates, jaw actuating levers having toggle joint connections with said jaws, a cutter connected to said toggle joint, a guide means secured to one of said plates, said cutter being slidably mounted for movement in said guide means and across the face of said plate, said guide means containing a recessed portion in the lower end thereof providing a shearing edge cooperating with said cutter, said cutter and said jaws being spaced laterally from each other, said jaws being adapted upon movement of said jaw actuating levers to bend said seal about said overlapping strap ends and to force said seal against said anvil for crimping said seal over said overlapping strap ends, said levers simultaneously lowering said cutter to sever the unused portion of said strap.

JOHN H. MEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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